Assessment in Math and Science: What's the Point?

Why do we elect to assess students at various points in their educational journey? Students frequently ask, "Will this be on the test?" and "Is this going to count?", and they have a right to know. This provocative and thoughtful series from the Annenberg Media group was designed to help a range of groups and people learn how "teachers deal with common issues and discover ways to use assessment to improve teaching and learning." This eight part series was originally produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications. Visitors to the site can watch all eight parts via this site, and the installments here include "You WILL Be Tested on This!: Standardized Testing" and "When I Was in School: Implementing Assessment Reform".